The extraordinary diversity of plants, reptiles and mammals Charles Darwin encountered when he visited the Galapagos Islands

(For the environmentally conscious

For the tourist) has come to New York, and the American Museum of Natural History has made the trip across time and space both intriguing and accessible. Add to that, recent controversies over the

issue of evolution through natural

selection, and the exhibit is a must-

see for the curious.

Gigantic tortoises; tropical penguins who use their wings to keep their webbed feet from getting sunburned; monkeys of all sizes; and yes, a blue-footed boobie, a bird that is one of many species unique to those Pacific islands off of Ecuador, all recreate for the visitor the wonder the 22-year-old Darwin felt as he painstakingly recorded and collected specimens for further study back home in England.

The exhibit, on view through May 29, 2006, begins with Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus, a naturalist who also suspected that animals could be grouped in species. (At the time, it was thought that every kind of creature was totally unrelated to any other kind of creature.) Darwin’s father, a doctor, was less unconventional in his views, and Charles as a child was only passable in the classroom. But he spent his spare time passionately collecting butterflies.

His impatient father, who first tried to make Charles into a doctor, then a clergyman, ultimately sent his son to Cambridge, where the young man discovered that collecting bugs was a legitimate academic pursuit. Indeed, at one point Charles entered into a fierce competition with a fellow student over beetles. All of these pursuits are fascinatingly illustrated in the museum’s display.

At Cambridge, Charles was mentored by John Stevens Henslow, a botanist, and in January 1831, Darwin graduated 10th in his class. The young man was preparing for a little R&R at home when Henslow offered him the chance of a lifetime — a five-year trip around the southern hemisphere aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, aiming to do a survey of the coast of South America. Charles would be an unpaid naturalist. It was on this trip that he formed his theories.

The museum does an excellent job of describing the process by which Darwin concluded that creatures can be grouped into species, differing from each other in minor ways and evolving over centuries to adapt to their surroundings. In one example, the exhibit re-creates two types of tortoises Darwin encountered, identical except for slightly differing shells. Tortoises from the island of Pinzon (formerly named Duncan’s Island) are “saddle-backed,” meaning their shells rise up in front, almost like a saddle. The rise in the shells enabled them to reach the taller cacti, which were their main food. On the island of Santa Cruz (formerly Indefatigable Island), the identical tortoises had dome-shaped shells, and they fed off vegetation close to the ground.

While on his voyage, Charles corresponded vigorously with his Cambridge mentor and sent crates of specimens to England to be studied. While he traveled in far-off lands, he gained a reputation at home. Having left the country a relatively inexperienced college graduate, he returned a recognized member of the academic community.

Darwin was well aware of the controversy his theories would cause, and he dragged his feet over publishing them. Indeed, it was not until a rival scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace, threatened to author an evolution theory that Charles finally consolidated his theories in print. The resulting uproar was identical to the controversy today, with most scientists embracing the notion, while many from the religious community opposed it.

Be warned: The exhibit is unabashedly pro-Darwin. It aims to persuade, through a beautifully laid out series of exhibits and videos. And it targets adults — young children will not enjoy this trip much.

No matter which side of the question you are on, the exhibit offers a clear statement of who Darwin was and what he believed. And there are all the other delightful aspects of the museum to be enjoyed — the towering dinosaurs, the staggering variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, the American Indian exhibits. Tempting shops can be encountered on every floor, and the food court on the lowest floor has every variety of treat, from pizza to pasta to burgers. There’s also the planetarium and the IMAX Theater, where you can be surrounded by mountaintops so real you can feel the wind, or underwater scenery where you can’t help swaying with the current.

Admission to the Darwin exhibit, which includes admission to the permanent displays, is $14 for adults, $8 for children and $10.50 for students. “Showings” are held every hour to control the crowds, which during the week before Christmas were noticeable but manageable. And the museum staff was delightful, from the cheerful “search team” that inspected my purse at the door, to the helpful guards and informative ticket-sellers. Best of all in wintry weather, you can reach the C (Eighth Avenue) subway line without ever going outside.

Happy traveling!

Photos: The blue-footed boobie is one of many species unique to the Galapagos Islands; the exhibit includes a re-creation of the H.M.S. Beagle and a map of Darwin’s trip, with its important stop off Ecuador; tortoises with “saddle-back” and “domed” shells are shown; Darwin used only simple tools, such as the magnifying glass.